A Decision Not to Decide:
Israel’s View of Hamas Before October 7
by Ksenia Svetlova
In the aftermath of the Hamas attack on October 7, Israeli government and military chiefs have repeatedly promised the Israeli public that soon HAMAS will not rule over Gaza, politically or militarily. Hamas has been in power in Gaza for 16 years. Let’s review Israel’s recent history with Hamas, to show how inaction and postponing decision-making […]
Report from the Gaza Front: A New Playbook
by Seth J. Frantzman
I spent the first days of the war on the Gaza border, mostly near Kibbutz Zikim. On the fifth day, October 11, I went to the Gaza border city of Sderot and spent time in the community, speaking with locals and also with the police. From these conversations and also discussions with members of the […]
WE ARE ALL ISRAELIS
by Ahmed Charai
The 1973 Yom Kippur War began as a surprise attack on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. On October 7, 2023, history has repeated itself. Earlier today, Hamas, an Iran-backed terror group, launched a surprise attack by land, water, and air – including glider assaults and more than 5,000 rocket strikes in the first […]
The Israel-Jordan Relationship: Jordan’s Strategic Anxiety Requires More Israeli Attention
by Ruth Yaron
My relationship with Jordan began even before the peace treaty was signed. It started in Washington DC where I was posted in the late 1980s as the spokesperson of the Israeli Embassy. This was shortly before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and shortly after King Hussein of Jordan had decided to disengage from […]
Four Decades of Talks with Arab Diplomats
by Jeremy Issacharoff
Three months after I came to live in Jerusalem, in November 1977, I joined my fellow Israelis standing on the side of the road to welcome President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. I had decided to immigrate to Israel from Britain in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Four years later, watching the […]
A New Gaza Policy for Israel
by Giora Eiland
Israel’s current policy towards Gaza is based on deterrence, reinforced with periodic military operations. But the military capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad are growing. Israel should actively consider alternatives to its current strategy as I outline here. Background  The Gaza Strip, known as Gaza, is 365 square kilometers with a population of slightly over 2 […]
Bringing Water Security for Palestinians and Israelis
by Gidon Bromberg
EcoPeace’s bold initiative “A Green Blue Deal for the Middle East” calls on the Israeli and Palestinian governments to act cooperatively on water issues under a climate-crisis paradigm, rather than continuing to hold water issues hostage to politics
Israel Wins a Round in the Proxy War With Iran
by Eran Lerman, Pnina Shuker
Why did the IDF launch an attack on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, knowing full well that this would lead to rocket attacks and counterstrikes?
The Lost Opportunity of Mahmoud Abbas
by Ksenia Svetlova
Throughout a lengthy political career, president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas experienced endless ups and downs.
The Palestinian Authority: On a Journey to Nowhere
by Kobi Michael, Ori Wertman
Nearly three decades after its establishment, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has failed to fulfill its historic national goal as a platform for the full implementation of Palestinian independence and the establishment